Incubator.



T. N. THOMSON.

INGUBATOR. APPLICATION FILED MAY 3, 191

1,082,980. I PatentedDec. 30, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INVENTOR [3y Jftomeys,

T. N. THOMSON.

INGUBATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3, 1911.

1,082,980. Patented Dec. 30,1913.

' z SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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INVENTOR WITNESSES: V M 7 94 UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

THOMAS N. THOMSON, 01E SCBANTON, PENNSYLYANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO HOVER-INCUBATOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A COR- INCUBATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. so, 1913.

Application filed May 3 1911. Serial No. 624,743.

Improvements in Incubators, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention. relates to incubators or the like, and aims to provide improvements therein, especially with respect to thehumidifying of the air in the incubating chamher. Besides maintaining a uniform temperature of the air within the incubating chamber, it is also desirable to humidify the" air, and furthermore, to maintain a uniform humidity.

The object of the present invention is to provide improved means for these purposes.

The invention is preferably incorporated in an incubator having the characteristics set forth in my applicationfor patent, filed April 3Q, 1910, Serial No. 558,641, (being Patent No. 1,039,844, dated October 1, 1912) and is illustrated as embodied in a form of construction such as illustrated in said ap plication. The invention, however, is not limited in its application to any particular construction of incubator.

The invention'will be described more in detail in connect-ion .with the accompanying drawings wherein 1 Figure 1 illustrates a longitudinal section of a preferred construction embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 illustrates in perspective one of the elements of the invention. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary horizontal section I on the plane just above the tray H in Fig 1.

Fig. 4 is a viewsimilar to part of Fig. 1; illustrating a modification. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary horizontal section of Fig. 4.

In said drawings A indicates the incuhating chamber (parts of which, such as the egg trays, etc., being omitted for clearness),

and 3 indicates, as a whole, any suitable,

form of heater, but preferably of the construction set forth in my aforesaid application. The heater is provided with an inlet '6 through which air is admitted to the heater and an outlet 6 through which heated air passes to the incubating chamber. Any suitable source of heat may be employed, and as here shown, a lamp C is employed. The heater is provided with a chimney or flue b passing through the heater uniform temperature,

and open at its top, through which pass the products of combustion. Within-the flue b is provided a smaller concentric flue b terminating short of the top of flue 6 The vflue 11 further has outlets b at a lower part' thereof. The opening through the top of ,flue b is controlled by a damper F actuated in any suitable manner from a thermostat D within the incubating chamber. As set.

forth in my aforesaid application, the action of the damper F is to regulate the amount of heat transmitted through the walls of flue b in order to raise to an approximately the air passing through the heater, and thereby maintain the incubating chamber at a uniform temperature. b

. Adjacent to the inlet to the heater, and preferably within a casing G in communication with such inlet, is a water receptacle 01' pan II, illustratedv in -detail in Fig. 2, and preferably shaped to provide a large evaporating surface for the Water contained therein. The pan is adapted to be heated directly by the flame or other source of heat, I

and to that end is preferably provided with a hollow extension h projecting into the interior of the flue b above the lamp C. The end o-fth e extension is preferably beveled as at h in order to present a larger heating surface, and also to facilitate the circulation of the Water. The pan H is best made removable from the casing to faciliftate cleaning, and is preferably provided with a drainor outlet I through which water may be withdrawn from the pan. Fresh air enters at cover the pan.

It is desirable to provide for the recirculation of part. of the air from the incubating chamber through the heater and back to this chamber. For this purpose the bottom of the incubating chamber is. refer'ably provided with an opening 0 one or more) communicating with the casing G of the water pan. The opening or openings 0 are preferably provided-with a shutter J, or the like, for regulating the size of the openings, in order to vary the amount of heated air from'the incubating chamber in the pan is maintained approximately uniform by the lamp, inasmuch as for any given interval the. flame is a constant one, so that the moisture taken up by the air is practically constant. Moreover, the pan be in heated directly by the lamp, it is possilfie to maintain the water in the pan at a higher temperature than it has heretofore been possible to-heat it, thereby insuring a suflicient and plentiful evaporation of the water not only at normal times, but also under considerable variation of surrounding atmospheric temperature. It is also possible to obtain a positive regulation of the moisture evaporated from the pan,jby displacing it relatively to the heating element, or even to discontinue the artificial evaporation of the water by removing the pan from the influence of the heater. The preferred means of regulation is byan adjustment of the lamp relatively to the extension 72, of the water pan whereby the heating effect of the flame upon such extension may be diminished. This is readily accomplished by turning or rotating the entire lamp or the burner thereof around a vertical axis so that for the maximum effect the vertical plane of the flat flame will co-incide with the plane of the extension h, thereby bringing the flame directly beneath the extension, or for a lesser efiect the burner may be turned to bring the flame obliquely to (as shown in Fig. 3) or for the minimum efl'ect it may be turned transversely to the extension, whereby in either case a lesser portion of the flame directly plays upon or imparts heat to the extension It. Or the same result may be otherwise obtained as by making the pan H as a slide which can be easily drawn back to partially or entirely remove the extension 72. from the heating effect of the lamp. This is shown in Figs. 4 and 5 where the pan H may he slid by its handle H either fully forward, as shown in Fig. 4 or in dotted lines in Fig. 5, to expose the extension h to the maximum heating effect of the flame, or fully backward as shown in full lines in Fig. 5, to so far withdraw the extension h from the lamp flue as to give only the minimum heating efl'ect. To prevent accidentally withdrawing it too far, a stop m is provided; when itis desired to remove the pan altogether, it can be lifted over this stop. Either of these methods of adjusting the heating efi'ect may be applied with or without the other. Thus the operator can conveniently diminish the humidificationor discontinue it entirely as may be required. It is well understood that the maximum humidification is required from ,the beginning of the-incubating period until near its close, and that toward the end of the period the humidification should be dimimshed to facilitate hatchin and to dry the chicks. The openings Q a may either discharge into the open air, or, as in my previous application, they may' discharge the spent air from the incubating chamber into a space around the water-pan as a means 80 of warming the latter and economizing oil. This feature, being clearly shown in my former'application and forming no part of my present invention, is not here illustrated in detail.

It is evident that by the'present invention a very complete control is had over the evaporation of the water in the water-pan, inasmuch as the heating of the water may be varied at will. This is best done by vary ing the relations of the water-pan and the 'lamp flame, as described, but it may be otherwise accomplished, as by varying the heat generated by the heater, or by reducing the depth of water in the pan.

The drawings show the lamp C held in a basin L haying inturned fingers g engaging a flange p on themargin of a shell K which is fastened to the bottom of the tube 6 of theheater; The shell K is imperforate on one side to protect the wooden casing from heat radiated from the lamp. The basin L is readily applied and removed, and when in place holds the lamp and its font in place,- and catches any oil which may leak-or ooze therefrom,

The invention is not to be understood as limited to the constructionillustrated, as it is obvious that-many variations and modifications may be made therein without de parting from the spirit of the invention. The specific construction of heater shown is merely illustrative of a suitable embodiment of my invention, and forms no part thereof.

What I claim-is:'-

1. In an incubator or the like, the combination of a lamp, and a pan having an extension adapted to be heated by said lamp and adapted to be displaced relativelyto said lamp, whereby the heating of the water in said extension may be varied or discontinued.

2. In an incubator or the like, the oombi nation of a lamp and a water-pan having an extension adapted to be heated by said lamp, and means for varying the relative positions of the lamp and said extension, whereby the heating effect of the lamp flame upon the water may be varied.

3. In an incubator or the like, the combination of a lamp and a water-pan having an extension entering the lamp flue, the lamp burner adapted to be rotated to vary the angular position of the flame relatively to said extension, whereby to vary the heating of the water in the pan.

4. In an incubator, the combination of a lamp and an evaporating pan containing water having an extension adapted to pro- 16 ject above the lamp for heating the water,

and said pan adapted to be displaced longitudinally to vary the heating effect of the lamp.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two 15 subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS N. THOMSON.

Witnesses:

THOMAS F. WALLACE, FRE WHITE. 

